Island



Sept. 3, 1929.

c. A. HORTON 1,726,564

WEBBING FABRIC Filed April 1, 1922 grwe'nloz CZaz'ZasJJYa'ha @51 y f l Patented Sept. 3, 1929.

STTES 1,726,564 PATENT oFFiee.

CHARLES A. HORTON, OF PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND, ASSIGNOR '10 HOPE WEBBING COMPANY, OF PAWTUCKET, RHODE ISLAND, A CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS.

WEBBING FABRIC.

Application filed April 1,

This invention relates to woven fabrics and to collars or like folded and foldable articles composed thereof, said fabrics and articles having zones or panels connected by a relatively narrow zone along which the panels may be more readily folded back to back than elsewhere. It more particularly appertains to multiply fabrics (and products composed thereof), such as may be most conveniently woven on a narrow ware or webbing loom, and in which the warp yarns or threads are curved parallel to each other in the plane of the fabric, the picks of weft or filling stretching radially, or normal to the warp threads, at their points of intersection with the latter, said fabric having a narrow fold-zone following the curve of the warp threads in the plane of the fabric.

Fabrics of the kind thus generally identified are now well known and are suitable material from which one-piece, turnover, or folded collars or the like can be cut. Collars made from fabric of this type have the advantage of retaining their shape unstarched, are free from seams and overlapped edges adjacent their folded edge, and do not wrinkle after the manner of those collars that are made of several thicknesses of cloth stitched together in order to provide sufficient body to enable the collars to maintain their form when worn.

For many years it has been known that relatively narrow fabrics can be readily woven with a warp curved in the plane of the fabric. It has also been proposed to make turnover or folded collars of multiply interwoven fabric; and in the patent to Morgan 1,254,340, patented January 22, 1918, and other patents of recent date, it has been proposed to make one-piece folded collars of multiply interwoven fabric having the warp curved in the plane of the fabric and having a relatively narrow, weakened fold zone produced in the weave and curved correspondingly with the curvature of the warp threads, so that the fabric consists of two panels, the warp of that having the convex selvage edge being longer than that of the one having the concave selvage edge, and so that the fabric may be readily folded on the weakened, curved fold zone to produce a collar having a curved set suiting it to fit the neck of the -wearer with the overlapped panels slightly senarated so as not to bind the tie;

The objects at this twenties are: pro- 1922. Serial No. 548,756.

duce a collar and fabric for collars, or the like, woven in one plane and having a narrow fold zone with a definitely set crimp produced in the weaving operation whereby the fabric may be more easily folded back to back alon the fold zone than elsewhere; to produce E. multiply interwoven fabric with a fold zone having a definitely set crimp with the face warp threads lying more closely together than elsewhere in the fabric; to form a fold zone of the kind described, in a multiply interwoven fabric, having more warp threads to the inch than the remainder of the fabric; to weave a fold zone on the face ply of a multiply fabric convexed transversely on the face of the fabric in order to produce a clear fold line having a tendency to cause the fabric to fold so as to bring the backs of the two panels connected by the fold zone together; and in general to produce a fabric and turnover one-piece collars, or similar folded articles, having either a straight or curved warp with a narrow intermediate fold zone along which the fabric is more readily foldable than elsewhere, which fold zone has greater wear resisting qualities than the remainder of the fabric.

The invention consists in multiply or othe fabric having an unweakened fold zone comprising more warp threads to the inch than the remainder of the fabric, said fold zone having a transverse convexity or crimp formed in the weave in order to provide for ready folding along said zone. It also consists in turn-over collars or like foldable articles made therefrom.

In the accompanying drawing in which like reference characters indicate like parts throughout the several views:

Figure 1 is a plan view illustrating diagrammatically a piece of the improved fabr10;

Figure 2 is a diagrammatic illustration of the weave as it appears'in section transverse of the warp on line 2-2of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a diagrammatic illustration of the weave as it appears in section longitudinal of the warp on line 33 of Figure 1 in one of the panels of the fabric;

Figure 4 is a diagrammatic illustration of the weave as it appears in section on line 4-4 longitudinal of the fold zone;

Figure 5 is a perspective View of a fragmentof fabric vi wed from the brig;

The r. as illustrated as assume in two ply webbing woven on a narrow ware or webbing loom, the warp threads toward the convex selvage edge of the webbing having been fed faster than those toward the concaved edge but under substantially equal tension In the drawings 1 indicates one panel, here in designated the inner panel, and 2 indicates another panel herein designated the outer panel, said two panels having been woven flat or in the same plane and joined in the weaving operation by 'a narrow fold zone 3. The fabric shown has a face ply composed of warp threads 4, interlaced with transverse filling 5, and a back ply composed of warp threads P interlaced with filling 5 Between the front and back plies is a series of stuffer warp threads 6 not interlaced with the filling but lying between the face and back plies parallel with the warp threads of the face and back. The number of face warp, back warp and stuffer warp threads in any given section of equal width, taken from either of the panels in the fabric illustrated, is the same. If, for example, there be eighty warp threads to the inch in the face ply of one of the panels there are eighty stuffer warp threads and eighty back warp threads. It will be understood, however, that the fabric shown is only exemplary and thatthe back ply may be woven of different materials than the face ply and with a different number of warp threads to the inch. The back ply and face ply may be stitched or bound together at intervals by binder warp threads 7. In the panels of a fabric such as shown there are half as many binder threads to the inch as there are face warp, back warp or stuifer warp threads. In the panels, therefore, every two warp threads in .face, back or stuffing alternate with a binder thread. The fold zone contains the same number of back warp threads and the same number of stuffer warp threads to the inch as the panels; but in the face ply there are more warp threads to the inch than in the panels. In the fold zone of the fabric illustrated there are twice as many face warp threads to the inch as in the ,panels. As a result of the crowding of the warp threads in the face ply of the fold zone the face ply of the fabric therein is bulged upward from the face of the fabric, crimped, or convexed transversely. As the Woven fabric passes over the breast beam the fold zone cannot bulge toward the back; the back ply also resists bulging inward; and it naturally follows that the fold zone crirnps or bulges in the direction in which there is no resistance as there are too many warp threads in the face for it to lie flat in the plane of the face of the panels. Thus, because of pressure of certain threads against each other due to the manner of weaving, a. definite convex set or crimp is given to the fold zone so that the fabric may be more readily folded backward along said fold zone than in any other portion of the fabric. When the fabric is woven on a curve the fold zone also is curved parallel with the direction of curvature of the warp and parallel with the selvage edges.

In the fabric described the fold zone is not only strengthened or reinforced with respect to the panels by having a greater number of warp threads to the inch than the remainder of the fabric, but the face warp is woven harder and more wear-resisting so that when the fabric is folded, as in other collars, the folded edge, which is the most subject to wear of any portion of the fabric, is more resistant than any other portion and yet does not interfere with folding along that zone but distinctly facilitates the folding operation.

In order to still further delineate the fold zone and increase the facility of folding, in the fabric shown in Figure 2 two of the binder warp threads, which, in the normal weave of the panels, would traverse the fold zone longitudinally at equally spaced intervals, are shifted to the edge of the fold zone so that one of these binder threads, indicated by the numeral 73, is brought adjacent to a binder thread 7 at each edge of the fold zone and thus additionally reinforces the fabric where the fold zone oins the panels.

In the fabric illustrated in Figure 2 the fold zone is of a width to contain six back warp threads, six stuffer warp threads and twelve face warp threads, twenty-four in all. Assuming about eighty warp threads to the inch in each ply of the panels the width of the fold zone would be approximately one thirteenth of an inch. Within the same Space in the panels there would be eighteen warp threads, six in the face ply, six in the back ply and six in the stufling, and, in addition, two binder threads, twenty warp ends in all.

Thus it is apparent that the fold zones of both weaves have greater strength than the remainder of the fabric as well as greater wear resisting capacity on their faces and a distinctive fold set or crimp which enables the fabric to be readily and easily folded backward along the fold zone.

From these fabrics, collars C, having a neck band formed from inner panel 1, and an outer fold from panel 2, may be made that possess a wear resisting quality at the folded edge not possible of attainment in collars made from those fabrics where the fold zone is produced by removing warp threads so as to weaken the fabric along the fold line to render itmore flexible.

These fabrics may be woven on known narrow ware looms using the usual number of harnesses for weaving such fabric. In order to produce a curved webbing the warp threads should be fed progressively faster from the concave selvage edge of the panel 1 to the convex selvage edge of the panel 2; and the warp threads maybe fed progressively faster,

as described, by the use of roughened, conical tension rolls which engage the webbing fabric between the breast beam and the cloth beam or cloth roll of the loom, those portions of the webbing that are gripped between the larger diameters of the tension rolls being fed faster than those portions that are gripped between the smaller diameters. A small roll, or equivalent guide, either tapered or disposed at an angle corresponding to the taper of the ten sion rolls, should be fixed to the breast beam, to guide the webbing to the tension rolls. The progressive difference of feed of the warp yarns from concave edge to convex edge may be permitted by providing a larger number of warp beams than is required in weaving straight fabrics. In weaving straight webbing of the kind disclosed three warp beams are necessary since the face and back warp, the stuffer warp and the binder warp threads are of different lengths in the woven fabric and require to be delivered from the warp beams at different speeds. By providing four sets of three each,-twelvc beams in all.-suflicicnt allowance for variations of speed dc livery of the warp threads necessary to produce the curvature may be afforded. Although theoretically it might be deemed desirable to have a larger number of warp beams, as each successive warp thread, from concave to convex edge, travels slightly faster, in practice it is found that the proper graduations of speed may be afforded by twelve warp beams, the stretch of the yarns being sufficient to compensate; and to this end it will be understood that the beams should be so disposed as to provide a long run of warp between the cloth and the warp beams.

Having described my invention what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A multiply woven fabric comprising two panels normally lying flat in substantially the same plane and connected by a fold zone transversely convexed in the Weave, the fold zone having longitudinal threads lying closer together than in the remainder of the fabric.

2. A multiply woven fabric comprising panels normally lying flat. in substantially the same plane, and connected by a fold zone having longitudinal threads so crowded together in one of the plies as to cause the fold zone to bulge outward transversely from the surface of the fabric.

3. A multiply interwoven fabric comprising panels normally lying flat in substantially the same plane and connected by an intermediate longitudinal fold zone transversely convexed in the weave, said fold zone having a back warp and face warp there being double the number of threads in the face warp as are in the back warp.

4-. A multiply interwoven fabric comprisin g panels normally lying flat in substantially tl me 1121110, said panels having face warp,

arp and stuffing warp threads, and connected by a woven fold zone transversely convet-u in the We, said fold zone having, to the inch, the male number of back warp and f warp threads as the panels and dounumber of face warp threads.

5. A multiple ply interwoven fabric having an upper layer and a lower layer and an interposed stuffing layer, certain of the longitudinal threads of the upper layer being so crowded together as to produce an outwardly bul ging zone along which the fabric naturally folds, said zone being no weaker and no more flexible than the remainder of the fabric.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

CHARLES A. HORTON. 

